The same struggle is waged over the dish considered typically Austrian – Wiener schnitzel. Although historians have long proven that the breaded veal schnitzel comes from Northern Italy, more precisely from Milan, Vienna claims its rights to the original recipe. Other notable 'immigrants' to Austrian cuisine have been goulash, originating from neighboring Hungary, and the puff pastry born in Turkey – the quintessence of the famous Viennese apple strudel.
But it can be said for sure that these debates about the origin of certain dishes, initially conducted in culinary literature, led to piquant culinary mini-wars that broke out during the EU's eastward enlargement. The new Union states have a rich culinary tradition and many unique dishes that have now poured from their former niches onto the single market. This flow includes, for example, Polish sheep's cheese, Hungarian honey, Cypriot muscat...
Regional delicacies have been popular in European grocery stores for many years. They have secured a firm place on supermarket shelves thanks to their wide popularity, good image, and proven belonging to a particular region. Of course, their producers relied not only on the domestic markets of their countries. Latvian fish and Hungarian salami can conquer any markets.
But the growing interest in regional and local products – possibly a reaction to accelerating globalization and recent scandals over the quality of food products – prompts competitors to take advantage of this success. Without working in the region where the product is made, without using the original recipe, they simply want to exploit the good reputation earned by the labor and efforts of others. Such unfair competition not only displeases producers but also misleads consumers.
For example, in the past, when a tired German official wanted to mark the end of the workday with a mug of Bavarian [beer], he could not be sure that the barley from which his beer was brewed had been grown not in Bavaria but in the Netherlands. To solve the problem, the European Commission created in 1992 a system of comprehensive protection for agricultural and food products based on their region of origin. Thus, Nuremberg lebkuchen (gingerbread), Allgäu Emmentaler (cheese), or Parma ham are now protected against counterfeits. Moreover, it concerns both the region of origin and the recipe. In the case of Bavarian beer, this means: in Europe, only what is brewed in Bavaria itself from local products and using traditional technology may be sold under that name. Everyone else is strictly forbidden to use this brand for their products, including its graphic and verbal images.
Another example: the European Commission recently decided to file a complaint against Germany with the European Court of Justice. The essence of the accusation is that Germany violates Italy's rights by selling cheese under the name 'Parmesan' on its territory. However, it has no geographical or recipe relation to Italian Parmigiano Reggiano.
When the ten new countries joined the European Union, there was much debate on these topics. Even now, passions have not fully subsided. For example, Hungarians and Slovaks nearly came to blows over the famous wine brand – Tokay. After an exhausting struggle, it was decided that Slovakia could also produce wine under that name. It insisted on this right because three villages where it is made are located right on the border with Hungary's Tokaj region.
But with the traditional strong alcoholic beverage – pálinka – the Hungarians were more fortunate. In neighboring Romania, this brandy of double or even triple distillation is also produced from local fruit raw materials. But Bucharest failed to prevent Budapest from registering pálinka in Brussels as an exclusively Hungarian product. The Slovenians also achieved success. Despite the fact that their national wine drink cviček contains only 5% alcohol and cannot be considered wine by EU standards, they managed to secure an exception for it during accession negotiations.
But for the culinary expansion of the new EU states, the stumbling block may be not only restrictions on the region of origin, recipe, and method of production. General quality requirements for products may also turn out to be quite complex. Many meat-processing plants in Hungary face closure because production conditions there do not meet EU hygiene standards. So Budapest's hopes for increasing exports of goose pâté and salami to united Europe may be excessive. The Baltic states also have to accept that their favorite fresh blood sausage does not meet the Brussels standard.
However, despite all the big and small squabbles, the expanded EU food market opens huge opportunities for both producers and consumers. The prejudices of the 'old' Union countries against 'unreliable' products from the East have largely proven unfounded. According to experts, in most respects the food industry of the new EU countries meets Brussels standards. Moreover, it is gratifying that after years of consuming attractive-looking but completely lacking in 'character' greenhouse tomatoes, truly tasty tomatoes from the European East are returning to supermarket shelves. Intensifying competition will benefit consumers, and the expanding assortment will bring them only one inconvenience, as the old German saying goes – 'choice is torment'.
Veronika Hager von Strobele.